Unhurried: A 5-Day Challenge to Slow Your Pace and Fix Your Eyes on JesusSample

Margin

When was the last time you felt like you had a spare amount of time? Time left over after work, chores, play, or even quality time with a friend. Time that was just extra. If you’re having difficulty identifying space in your schedule, chances are you need margin in your life.

Margin is defined as “a spare amount or measure or degree allowed or given for contingencies or special situations.” I believe a better way of defining “contingencies or special situations” is “God moments.”

God works in our schedules and works in the normalcy of a day, but He is so much bigger. He works in special situations too, in the space much larger than your plans. The catch? You have to choose to create room.

Scripture is full of examples and insight into this process of creating margin and pursuing Christlikeness. Over the next 5 days, we will look at a few of these examples and end by asking:

1. What does this teach me about God?
2. How should I order my days as a result?

The first example is found in Mark 1.

Jesus Created Margin

Mark 1 documents the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He called the disciples, healed the sick and demon-possessed, and even healed Simon’s mother-in-law in her home. His ministry started to gain attention to the extent that verse 33 says, “And the whole city was gathered together at the door.”

Take a minute to pause here. I’m not sure how many people lived in this city, but even in the smallest city, if everyone gathered at your door, I think you’d feel a little overwhelmed. You may think this sounds like the opposite of creating margin, but that’s because we haven’t read what’s coming.

In verse 35, Scripture says, “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.” This sounds a lot like “a spare amount of time given for special situations.” Jesus created margin. He knew how important it was to get away from the chaos, be alone, and talk to the Father.

Mark made a point to let us know it was still dark outside. He doesn’t tell us the exact time, but we know it was before the sun came up. Jesus was fully God but also fully human. This means He experienced tiredness and fatigue just as we do. Now, even if He was a morning person, getting up and going out before the sun was even up was a choice. It was deliberate and intentional. He had to choose to create margin.

If Jesus created margin, shouldn’t we? Maybe this requires getting up while it’s still dark outside. Maybe it’s using your toddler’s naptime to pray in the quiet instead of cleaning the house. Maybe you should use your lunch break as an opportunity to spend time in the Word. Where is there space to create margin in your schedule?

Today’s Challenge: Create Margin

Create 10 minutes of margin within your schedule. Use this time to quiet your mind and ask God to meet with you.

After Reading the Passages, Answer:

1. What does this teach me about God?
2. How should I order my days as a result?